Sardar Raisani deludes himself so often that it is difficult to take him
seriously at all. He overlooks the fact that when even his orders regarding
provincial matters are dismissively countermanded, how can he offer services
as an independent entity to NATO and the ISAF?
I presume all must have noticed that the camel's lower lip hangs
precariously as if it is about to fall off, especially when the camel walks
or runs. There is a Balochi fable that a hungry jackal noticed a camel's
perilously perched lip, which he gratuitously thought would fall off. He
followed him continuously and whenever the camel moved quickly his belief
was reaffirmed. He died following the mirage of an 'about to fall off lip'.
This analogy of the camel's hazardously perched lip and jackal fits
perfectly with Sardar Mohammad Aslam Raisani's expectations of the
anticipated largesse from the Centre for sustaining Balochistan. On October
3, he blasted the Centre for not providing funds for the flood-affected
people in the province. He expressed concern over delay in restoration of
basic infrastructure damaged by floods and torrential rains, lamenting that
links between Balochistan and other parts of the country remained cut off.
He accused the federal government of ignoring the flood-affected people.
According to him, the provincial government had allocated Rs 1 billion for
distribution among the affected people and was waiting for the Centre's Rs 1
billion grant. His government, he claimed, had spent Rs 400 million on
providing tents, etc, while the Centre had contributed only Rs 50 million.
Sardar Aslam Raisani very recently headed a delegation of his coalition
partners' parliamentary leaders to discuss his province's problems with the
prime minister in Islamabad. Talking to newsmen there, he said that he was
disappointed by Islamabad's "indifferent attitude towards Balochistan's
problems", adding that he and his cabinet members had made several visits to
Islamabad to apprise senior officials of the problems but to no avail. He
complained that on numerous occasions he had informed the president and the
prime minister of the problems and subsequently directives were issued, but
to date the problems remained unresolved. Apparently, even the insight and
will to understand the aspirations and needs of their collaborators is
severely lacking in Islamabad's government. They pay only lip service, pun
intended, to Balochistan's problems.
Whenever the jackal makes sounds and gestures of giving up, the lip is
vigorously shaken with promises, packages and awards to keep alive his
hopes. The camel (read Centre) shakes the lip just enough to keep Raisani
enamoured of it. Though I have referred to Raisani alone in the analogy, but
to single him out for criticism would be patently unjust because all the
past governments with the exception of the Ataullah Mengal's government have
been guilty of being the greedy and thoughtless jackal.
Recently, Raisani in an unprecedented letter to the president and premier
pleaded for convening a high-level meeting for finalising the decision over
implementation of the Reko Diq project. Remarkably, in December 2009, the
Balochistan government had unanimously decided to cancel the agreement with
Tethyan for exploration of copper, gold and other related minerals in an
area of around 3.35 million acres in Reko Diq; it had also decided not to
lease out the land to the company for further work. But that unanimous
decision was given the respect that the Centre reserves specially for
Balochistan and it was unsympathetically and brusquely brushed aside. The
clout-wielding Tethyan Copper Company is held jointly (50:50) by the
influential Barrick Gold Corporation and Antofagasta Minerals.
An environmental disaster hit Kolontar in Hungary last week when the toxic
sludge reservoir of Ajka alumina plant burst. A similar disaster is feared
at Saindak where the Amolaf village is threatened by the toxic sludge
reservoir there. Naturally, the sludge dam at Reko Diq would be bigger and
would threaten the people and environment proportionally.
Sardar Raisani deludes himself so often that it is difficult to take him
seriously at all. In a meeting on October 13 with Charles Sattorini, the
military attaché of the British High Commission, he offered the use of
Gwadar port to NATO and ISAF. He claimed that despite limited resources,
they were trying to provide security to NATO and ISAF vehicles and further
suggested that if they trained and equipped Balochistan police and levies
personnel, vehicles' security could improve.
He overlooks the fact that when even his orders regarding provincial matters
are dismissively countermanded, how can he offer services as an independent
entity to NATO and the ISAF? Moreover, even if the Centre, for its own
reasons, looks benevolently upon his offer, he seems oblivious of the
implications thereof. With the security situation as it stands, the Taliban
will have a field day. Then, maybe, this is exactly what they are aiming
for, irretrievably embroiling Balochistan in the Afghan war and thereby
undermining the nationalist struggle. He should realise that NATO plus the
ISAF camel's lip is even harder to get, as they are always more interested
in their pound of flesh. Furthermore, this camel has the bad, bad habit of
staying put unless the tent is Somalia or Lebanon.
Two BNP-A ministers in the Balochistan Assembly walked out in protest on
Thursday when the Speaker, Aslam Bhootani, asking them to raise the issue in
a cabinet meeting, refused to allow them to speak on the military operation
being carried out in Balochistan's Mashkay Tehsil in Awaran District by
about 800 security personnel to neutralise Dr Allah Nazar who operates in
central Balochistan and the coastal region. In his hometown Moee, his family
and neighbours have been harassed.
Agriculture Minister Asad Baloch later speaking to newsmen said that nearly
all the assembly members were cabinet members, therefore, they should raise
the issue in the assembly. He added that the federal government did not seem
to care about the province's critical issues and even the chief minister had
admitted in the house that no one in the federal capital listened to him. He
said helicopters had bombarded the area and security forces had launched a
massive search operation there. He said search of houses and humiliation of
people could not be tolerated.
The Mashkay operation conclusively proves that the 'about to fall off lip'
is just window-dressing and that, in fact, the camel's teeth are the real
thing; they can bite, maul and abduct people at will. Those who want to
continue to delude themselves with the myth of the falling lip are free to
do so, but they would do well to remember that it is the Baloch people who
are paying the price for these patently false and misleading hopes that
their attitudes promote and nurture in the minds of people.
The writer has an association with the Baloch rights movement going back to
the early 1970s. He can be contacted at mmatalpur@gmail.com
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2010\10\17\story_17-10-2010_pg3_4
*
--
Man would indeed be in a poor way if he had to be restrained by fear
of punishment and hope of reward after death." --
Albert Einstein !!!
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22151765/History-of-Pakistan-Army-from-1757-to-1971
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21686885/TALIBAN-WAR-IN-AFGHANISTAN
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22455178/Letters-to-Command-and-Staff-College-Quetta-Citadel-Journal
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23150027/Pakistan-Army-through-eyes-of-Pakistani-Generals
http://www.scribd.com/doc/23701412/War-of-Independence-of-1857
http://www.scribd.com/doc/22457862/Pakistan-Army-Journal-The-Citadel
http://www.scribd.com/doc/21952758/1971-India-Pakistan-War
http://www.scribd.com/doc/25171703/BOOK-REVIEWS-BY-AGHA-H-AMIN
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